


Mindless

by Lucy112235



Category: Escape the Night (Web Series)
Genre: A lotta angst, Agony, Fear, Friendship, Losing your sanity, Multi, Pain, Serum, This is really dark because it was 1 am and I write weird things at 1 am, brain washing, losing your mind, slowly remembering your identity, sort of PTSD
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-31
Updated: 2019-08-25
Packaged: 2020-07-27 23:47:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20054533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lucy112235/pseuds/Lucy112235
Summary: What if Oli, Eva, and Joey weren't able to get out of that basement, and became slaves to the house?A (very dark) Escape the Night AU.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Also, just heads-up, I used the note that Leah wrote in "Escape the Night: A Novelization", but tweaked it a little. That note is not my original work and all credit goes to canufeelthemagictonight.
> 
> Also, again, this is VERY DARK. It was 1 am, oKaY? I write weird things at 1 am.

Eva’s eyes shoot open.

She’s in some sort of dungeon, and her arms are chained to a post. Oli and Joey are also chained up, and for a moment, the darker part of her mind wonders if they're dead, but she brushes it away. She tugs at her binds, but they won’t break. 

Joey’s eyes soon flutter open too. “Guys?” he says, almost panicked.

Eva soon sees this bald man, grumbling and shaking his head like some sort of lunatic, and her blood starts racing. She immediately goes into protective mode, trying to wake Oli.

“Oli. Oli. Oli. Oli.  _ Oli.” _

He practically jumps as he awakens, and the panicked expression on his face and his almost hoarse voice as he manages to squeak an  _ “oh my god”  _ are signs of what his mind must be going through. It’s the same expression he had when he was the electric chair, screaming in agony, pleading her name, almost as a prayer. Eva winces at the memory.

The insane man laughs, laughs at it seems like their fear, especially Oli’s, and Eva’s never wanted to sucker-punch anyone more. 

“Guys,” Oli looks at her, and then back at his arm. “We’re… we’re  _ chained…” _

Joey seems to be the one with the most composure. “It’s ok,” he stammers. “We’ll… we’ll figure this out. We’ll get out.” He says it confidently, but Eva can tell he’s terrified. She searches her post for  _ anything,  _ a box, a key, a clue, but nothing was there. She can see Oli doing the same, but he, too, comes out empty-handed.

_ “Welcome to my house!”  _ the lunatic screams.

“Joey, do you have anything near your post?” Eva asks, desperately hoping he has anything.

“Um…” Joey looks around, before seeing a piece of paper. “There’s a note.”

However, his binds are too tight to bring it close enough to read it. “Here, Eva,” he kicks it in her direction, missing by a few feet. Her chains are  _ just  _ long enough to be able to reach the note. She reads it aloud to the other two, trying to be loud enough to overpower the lunatic’s screaming.

“It says ‘ _ Joey. Oli. Eva. I'm glad that you three were able to last this long. As a reward for your tenacity, you get to keep your lives, as long as you stay down here in my...shall we say...guest room. And don’t worry about the chains. It’s all for to keep you safe,”  _ Eva’s voice quickens as she realizes what Arthur is doing, the lunatic still screaming. _ “‘No need to be scared. I've injected you all with a special serum that I created myself. By the time the sun rises at six AM, in approximately 30 minutes, you will be as complacent as well-trained animals and ready to join the house staff.’  _ This is from the butler! _ ” _

“Guys, I…” Oli’s voice is higher in pitch, obviously terrified. “I can’t stay chained much longer.”

“Don’t worry,” Joey seems to be trying to sound confident, but fails. “We… we’ll figure this out. We have to.”

“We don’t have anything!” Eva struggles against her iron binds, trying anything and everything to escape. “What are we supposed to do?”

“I… I don’t know,” Joey admits, dropping his head. “I’m so sorry. This is all my fault.”

Oli shakes his head, trying to be calm, as the crazy man seems to be getting tired and is instead talking quietly to himself, which is creepy nonetheless, but at least it isn’t screaming. “No, it’s not. You didn’t do anything, Joey.”

“But I did,” The Savant sulks. “I… I let eight of my friends die because I invited you all here, and now… now you guys are going to be mindless slaves. It’s my fault. You.. you guys have families, homes, lives. And I took that from you,” Joey starts to cry. “I’m so sorry.”

“We… we can’t just give up,” Oli said, trying to sound brave, but there was still an ounce of fear in his voice.

“What’s there to do?” Eva bunches up into a ball. “We can’t escape. Arthur’s going to make us his mindless slaves.”

Oli is slowly losing hope. Eva, the genius, the optimist, the perky, energetic YouTuber who always has an answer and most of the time, a smile, has given up. She’s lost hope, and Joey’s basically sobbing, so what is Oli supposed to do? All his friends are either dead or about to become mindless slaves. And Oli is about to become one too. 

_ James. Caspar. Joe. Mum. Dad.  _ Names flash across his mind of people he will never see again, and it’s probably been twenty minutes since Eva read that note, so he has ten minutes with his own mind left. What is even the purpose? Soon, he won’t miss his friends and family. Joey and Eva- especially Eva- cause even in that dark basement, Oli still remembers the  _ terror  _ and bloodcurdling fear he felt as plunged into that icy water, and Joey is partly responsible for that happening to him- Oli isn’t going to remember them as his friends or companions or fellow survivors, but simply his colleagues. Co-workers. Co- _ slaves.  _ After everything they have been through together, he was barely going to care about them. The thought made him sick.

But what can he do? They’re at a dead end. There’s nothing left to do. There’s no more clues, or riddles, or puzzles. There’s just three scared YouTubers, with a maniac that seems to be falling asleep, chained in a dungeon, terrified about their awaiting fate.

“Guys…” Oli almost whispers. They’ve only got a few minutes of free will left, and he intends to use them to the fullest. “I just want to say that I appreciate both of you. A lot,” he turns to Joey. “I know you feel responsible for this, but you’re not. Okay? You’re just as much of a victim as we are. You’re a great friend. You’re fun, compassionate, good-hearted, and smart. You’re the heart and soul of this group. Don’t forget it, okay?”

Joey nods. He wipes the tears from his eyes and manages to squeak out a  _ “thank you”.  _

Then, Oli turns to Eva. “And Eva, I just want to say that we’d probably all be dead without you,” Oli says. Joey nods in agreement, still wiping away his tears. “You’re amazingly smart, and witty, and kind. You deserved to get out more than you’ll ever know. You saved my life,” Oli winces at the memory of the electric chair, however sentimental the moment is. The Big Game Hunter pauses, unsure what to say next. There’s so much to say and so little time to say it. “I… I’ll miss you.”

Eva gives him a sad smile, and reaches out to his outstretched hand on the ground. Her chains are just loose enough to grab his hand and squeeze it for a moment. 

“I’ll miss you too,” she whispers, before returning to her original position.

“Guys,” Joey’s voice shakes. “You do realize that it’s been almost half an hour.”

“Oh god,” Eva tries to hold her composure.

“We just…” Oli thinks. “We need to fight it. Ok? Don’t let it take over you.”

As soon as he says that, he can suddenly feel a sort of different liquid running through his veins. And  _ it burns it burns oh god make it stop it hurts so much please-  _ and he can hear Joey fighting his binds, and Eva’s screaming his name, and he’s convulsing and he screams. Screams.  _ Screams.  _ Again and again, because agony is surging through his veins.

_ Please, god, I’m sorry, but please  _ please  _ make it stop, i don’t want to die, I don’t want to, please… _

**You foolish boy.**

Oli is distracted from the pain long enough to be scared.

**You think you’re going to die?**

Maniacal laughter echoed in his brain. Oli was still convulsing, and his friends were still screaming at him, but all was silenced by his fear.

_ Who are you? Why are you doing this to me? _

**Who am I? I am you. The you who you will become. The you with infinite power.**

_ No,  _ Oli struggles, ignoring the pain.  _ I won’t. I’ll be a mindless slave. I’ll lose my friends and everyone I care about. _

**Oh, but power is so much better than love. You will soon realize that. And this slight discomfort that you are feeling now will all be over soon. You just have to let go. Let you become who you are truly meant to be.**

_ No! I can’t!  _ And then again, there’s liquid fire all through him, and he thinks maybe it’s better just to die in this basement than to go on like this. And then he’s back in the electric chair, and electricity shoots through him, and he’s a mess of tears and pleads and  _ pain  _ in his chair, and Lele’s dying, screams emitting from her once energetic frame. And there’s Shane, dead on the floor, and Andrea, in the ungodly machine, blood oozing from her neck. And there’s Justine, screaming and sobbing, and GloZell, in a pool of her own blood, and Sierra, demons surrounding her corpse. Matt is there, choking up poison, and Tim has a bullet through his head. And then… Eva. She’s screaming, and crying, and he rushes toward her, but he can’t save her. And pain surrounds him again, and he lets go.

_ Please,  _ he thinks with his last will of free thought.  _ Save her. Save Joey. Don’t let them suffer because of me. _

And soon, it all goes black.

_ “Oli?!”  _ Eva screams. He’s slumped on the floor, and she thinks  _ oh god he’s dead Oli’s dead and what am I supposed to do without him oh  _ god- and that look- pain he was going through- it was worse than the electric chair. It was  _ agony  _ watching him so tortured.

She reached out and grabbed his hand. She squeezed it once, twice, three times. “Come on, Oli,” she whispered. “Wake up, wake up,  _ wake up!” _

“There’s no use!” Joey told her, sulking. “He’s gone. And we’ll be gone soon too.”

Silence.

And then, what is that? She can hear  _ gunshots  _ in her head, and it’s enough to send her in a complete panic attack. There’s guns shooting across her mind, and she can feel the bullets hitting the inside of her head, and it’s like dying a thousand times. She’s covered in gunshot wounds and she’s sobbing in her own head, yet can feel cold tears streaming down her face, and pain overwhelms her. She’s shaking and sobbing and  _ it hurts it hurts make it stop please make it stop-  _ and then suddenly, she hears the word  _ “hit”.  _ Eva turns around in her somewhat hallucination, and Tim is sitting there, and his pointing the gun to his head, and she’s distracted from her pain long enough to try to run toward him, but suddenly she can’t move. He brings it to his skull, and she’s yelling at him to  _ please Tim don’t do this not again-  _ but he can’t hear her, and he pulls the trigger, and she screams, and he slumps down on the table, blood oozing from the side of his head. And then, the  _ pain  _ again, and it’s stronger now. She screams, maybe in her own head, maybe in real life. She can’t tell the difference.

_ Please,  _ she begs.  _ Please leave me and my friends alone. I just want to go home. I don’t want to die or become a mindless slave. Please. _

**Ah, ** a voice laughs in her own mind.  **You are just like your friend.**

_ Who are you? What did you do to Oli?! _

**Calm down, child. There is no need for anger here. **

**I am you. The you who you will become. The you who you will become.**

**And as for your friend- don’t worry. He’s safe. You’ll see him soon. All I have to do is let go. Let yourself become who you are meant to be.**

_ No. I will never be like you. Ever. And I bet you’re torturing him, aren’t you? Why? What do you want from me and my friends?! _

**Ah, you shall see, young child. Let me help you see.**

And for a moment, the voice was gone, and then-  _ pain.  _ So,  _ so  _ much worse than before. Gunshots are still shooting her, and she’s sobbing because  _ I don’t want to die.  _

And then there’s Shane, and he’s dead on the floor, whispering  _ “you could’ve saved me. You failed. You’re a failure,”  _ aagain and again. She looks past him, trying not to cry, and then there’s Andrea, whispering  _ “you killed me. You saved Lele, so you killed me,”  _ repeatedly. She’s pressed against the walls of the Ungodly Machine, and she’s trying to break free, but gas surrounds her, and she’s gone. Eva tries to turn away from her, but then there’s Justine, being buried alive, whispering  _ “murderer. Murderer. Murderer,”  _ in an unnerving chant, and then the pain is back in Eva’s brain, and she’s screaming again and again before she sees GloZell, in a pool of her own blood, whispering  _ “Joey killed me. Joey killed me. Can you really trust someone who killed me?!”  _ And Eva’s turning around, only to see Sierra, possessed and convulsing, and then she collapses, whispering  _ “backstabber. Traitor. Backstabber. Traitor,”  _ again and again, and Eva’s mumbling apologies as guns continue to shoot her. And then there’s Matt, choking up poison, whispering  _ “I was innocent. Innocent. And now I’m dead because of you,”  _ and she’s pleading more apologies, and she’s close to sobbing, and then there’s Lele, being electrocuted in her electric chair, and Eva cries because she’s seeing her best friend’s death on replay. And then Lele sits up, electricity still coursing through her, and she’s whispering  _ “You killed me. You killed me. You killed me,”  _ in a scaringly low tone, and Eva’s trying everything to escape her friend’s deaths, but then there’s Oli, and  _ he’s  _ in the electric chair, pleading her name, getting shocked nearly to death, and she gets a final ringer, but he gets electrocuted anyway, and electricity surges through him, and he lets out an ungodly scream unlike anything Eva’s ever heard, and she’s trying to rush to him, but he’s already dead.

_ Please,  _ she whimpers.  _ Please just let it stop. _

**Ah. I knew you would see.**

And it all goes black.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joey, Eva, and Oli have fallen victim to the house. However, now it's time for Arthur to make sure that they are well acquainted with their new lives...

It was all a test, of course.

As much victims’ dying screams send shivers of happiness up Arthur’s spine, he really convinced Joey to invite his friends to select who would be the most suitable for his…  _ staff.  _ People who, when manipulated, would be faithful to him and the house through and through.

Shane… nobody was getting  _ anywhere  _ with him. Another annoying, pesky SAE member in his way. So Arthur poisoned him, and the joy of announcing his death to the group- it was why he was who he was.

Andrea wasn’t strong, or that smart, or that determined. Her death was coming for her, and her dying screams added to his confidence as he watched slyly as the group of “friends” turned on each other like a pack of wolves.

Justine was stubborn and determined, but her level-headedness and rational thinking were questionable. She wasn’t the material he was looking for, so he basically  _ told  _ her friends to bury her alive, and some were so blinded by rage, that they didn’t even notice or care. And her pleads to live and sobs and cries of agony- pleasure radiated from Arthur as he soaked it in. 

Next was GloZell. She tended to turn her back on something (or some _ one _ ) very quickly, so she wouldn’t do. So there was a murder journal, and with a flourish, a stroke of Joey’s pen led to her glorious fate. The Butler nearly laughed as he watched her friends desperately trying to save her, and more joy filled him.

Sierra was next to die. He knew from the beginning that she wasn’t suitable for the job. She was timid, afraid, and easily suspicious. So all night long, he silently reveled in her impending fate. And when the demons finally took over her- the glee and giddiness that overwhelmed him made him realize how wrong she would be at a  _ position  _ such as the one he held.

After her was Matt. He had promise, but in the last hour of his life, Arthur realized that his hopes were sorely mistaken. Matt Haag was a quitter. He let go when the going got tough, and the evil needed persistence. So he laughed evilly as both him and his companion drank poison, and the former was so convinced in his arrogance that he drank the deadly vial. No one missed him, of course, except for his one friend. The rest were glad he was dead, as they should’ve been.

Second to last was Tim. Just like Matt, the Mobster also held promise, in the beginning, as a charismatic, determined power figure in the house. However, his revengeful tendencies and sometimes short temper could be red flags later on. But it didn’t matter- Arthur barely had to do any work. The man shot himself in the head- maybe a sacrifice. Another red flag. When in league with the house, you can only look out for yourself. But Tim was dead, and Arthur continued to be overwhelmed with the feeling of complete and utter pleasure in hearing the girl’s scream as the bullet went off.

The last was Lele Pons. The girl had guts, all right. She had persistence. Determination. She was a fighter, through and through. And she was loyal, but also self preserving. But around the hour before Tim’s death, a couple red flags started getting thrown up. First of all, she voted for Eva, a girl who she had been close with the whole of that night. And the problem that Tim also had- being a so-called “Troublemaker"- rose up. All night, she had been causing drama, and voting for Eva tipped the edge. So he made sure that her partner was Joey. Joey Graceffa. And though Joey may have had a chance against Oli, Eva was way ahead of him. So Arthur relished in her dying screams as he realized he was down to his three survivors- the three who would join him.

He can’t say he’s surprised. Joey- well, he was almost guaranteed to survive from the start. He would kill for those he loved, but he wouldn’t die for them. And that was a very important quality that Arthur was looking for. And however suspicious the Savant appeared to the group, he stayed alive as the heart and soul of the party.

Eva was an obvious pick from the beginning. She wasn’t as self-preserving as Joey, but she was loyal and determined to survive. However, her biggest quality that stood out was her cleverness and intelligence. Strategic thinking was at play in her mind, unlike everyone else’s. She was the brains of the group, and that could seriously help Arthur’s team, as Sarah and Marvin weren’t the brightest lightbulbs.

Oli, unlike the other two, was a more late-game pick. He didn’t immediately stand out, but his strength in circus challenge was something that made Arthur have his eye on him. And before Eva got voted in, Oli warned her, which not only showed how they were connected (that would be great for a team if they both survived), but also his loyalty. A strong quality to have.

And so those three were the recruits. Perfect. There was only one problem- they hadn’t been  _ convinced  _ yet. But Arthur wasn’t worried. The serum would fix it right up.

At 6:30, Arthur walks down into the basement, awaiting his three recruits. He relishes the moment, silently praying that these three will not turn out like some of his other…  _ attempts.  _ But as he steps into the dungeon opposite his personal chambers, he smiles to himself. The three are slumped on the ground, still chained up. He made sure that the serum would affect them in the most painful way possible- an almost electricity-like sensation for Oli, gunshots for Eva, and for Joey, well- it was more a physical manifestation of emotional trauma. A physical version of unbearable guilt. And all three were  _ convinced  _ most using all the deaths, featuring most the death that affected them the most. Lele for Oli, Tim for Eva, Justine for Joey. A sort of  _ persuasion.  _ Nothing more.

His first order of business is to install the…  _ rules  _ into their heads. A sort of lesson.

First up is Joey. Of course, they are all going to have roles in the house, and Arthur will make sure that they adjust to their roles quite nicely. So, he quickly unchains the Savant, tapping him on the shoulder. The young man awakens, and he takes in his surroundings, almost like a young child. Arthur’s unfazed.

_ “Follow me,”  _ Arthur says in a low, quiet voice. Joey complies and walks behind him, almost unsurely, but complacently, as a servant to a master. Arthur leads him into his chambers,, sitting him down in a chair. As soon as Joey sits down, his feet are chained to the floor, but he doesn’t question it, as influenced by the serum.

Arthur circles him, resembling a predator circling a prey, but struts around. He stops in front of the Savant. He takes out a small pendulum. It’s a small brown circle, with a symbol in the middle; the master only known as the Cursed God. Arthur begins to swing it in front of Joey’s face.

“Now, child,” he says, imitating a kind, sweet voice. “I need you to look at the pendulum.”

Joey nods and his now darker eyes follow the swinging object. It swings back and forth, back and forth, again and again. It’s influence starts to take a toll on the man as he begins to feel dizzy, but comforted somehow. The small rhythm of the object makes him relax into an almost dream-like state, right where Arthur wants him.

“Now, child, listen closely,” he says almost slyly. “You will have fame. Riches. Unfathomable power,” Joey nods and his arms go limp. “You will have everything your heart desires,” Joey smiles. “All you must do is follow my instructions.”

Joey nods and begins to feel sleepy. His eyelids feel heavy, and they slowly begin to fall down. Arthur snaps his fingers, and joey’s eyes fall shut.

“You will be the Butler of this estate,” Arthur whispers into Joey’s ear, dropping the pendulum. “You will answer to me. Any suspicious behavior of your fellow staff members will be reported to me immediately. You will be completely loyal to me, however you shall act like you are the servant to the evil instead. Do you understand?”

Joey murmurs “I understand” in an almost robotic-sounding voice. Arthur smiles.

“There are four other staff members. Repeat them after me,” Arthur begins to circle him again. “Sarah, the maid.”

“The maid, Sarah,” Joey mumbles.

“Marvin, the groundskeeper.”

“The groundskeeper… Marvin.”

“Eva, the chef.”

“Eva…” something’s different about Joey’s voice when he said it, but Arthur brushes it off, knowing that Joey isn’t aware of his change in tone. “The chef.”

“And Oli, the guard.”

“Oli…” Again, Joey’s voice seems a little lighter, softer when saying his name, but Arthur doesn’t get worried, as Joey has no idea who those people are. “The guard…”

“Good,” Arthur stands in front of him again, satisfied. Everything is going according to plan. “Open your eyes in three… two… one.” Arthur snaps his fingers, and Joey’s eyes open. “Now, these are your chambers. Get comfortable. I will be back later.”

Joey nods obediently and sits on the bed, taking in his surroundings. Arthur smiles to himself and walks out of the room. However, he had much more planned for the Savant…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: Eva gets to know the house, but she can't shake the feeling that she has a past history with some of its staff...


	3. Chapter 3

** _Eva_ **

She knows two things.

One, her name is Eva Gutowski.

Two, she’s loyal to the evil.

She thinks three things.

One, she’s fascinated by this house.

Two, she’s fascinated by the world.

And three, there’s more to this place than people let on to.

Every aspect of the Estate intrigues her. The hidden messages behind the walls and the terra cotta basement and the smooth, cracked floor. The ever burning lamps and the hundreds of books and the mystery that this place is.

She doesn’t know how she got here, or why, but it’s unlike any place she’s ever been.

But strangely, she can’t remember any other place she’s ever been.

Not only the house intrigues her, but also the staff. They all hold something close to them, clutching it, and however she tries to pry it away, they won’t let go.  _ Can’t. _

Arthur holds the power. He has the free will, the right to order. She doesn’t mind, though. She follows any of his instructions without question.

Sarah is the most reserved. Secretive. She knows more than she lets on to.

Marvin’s almost never there. He’s patrolling the grounds, but seems almost isolated and distant. He always gives off a threatening energy, but she welcomes it. She’s loyal to the evil, after all.

Joey’s the butler. He’s got the most- well, most prominent- personality. More and more each day. Little by little. Like an inchworm. He’s always got a twinkle in his eye, and sometimes a mischievous smirk on his face, especially when Arthur isn’t looking. 

But the person who intrigues her the most is Oli. The guard is quite reserved, but she can tell that he’s almost gentler than anyone else here. He doesn’t suit the job. And she thought she would hate him for it, because she is loyal to the evil, but strangely, she likes it. She can’t shake the feeling that she  _ knows  _ him. Knows that he’s kind and gentle and loyal. Knows his soft, British voice. Knows his sensitivity but also the way he holds his ground. Knows his big brown eyes and scruffy sand-colored hair and his strong yet gentle hands. But she doesn’t know  _ why.  _ She barely knows him. She just met the guy. He keeps to himself and has maybe said one word to her since she got there.

Eva, herself, is a chef. Well, that’s her job. But strangely, she doesn’t really know  _ what  _ she’s doing- it’s like her hands are moving on their own. Saut é ed pork and potatoes and rice all bundled up in meal after meal even though she has no idea what’s in the sauces and spices that overlap them.

A typical day is waking up at the crack of dawn when the clock chimes at 6 AM every day. She’ll get in to her apron and go to the kitchen where Arthur will tell her what he would like for breakfast, and she’ll make it, and her and everyone else’ll have the leftovers. The same spots at the dining room. Every day. Arthur at the head of the table (occasionally, if he shows up) with Sarah on the left and Joey on the right. Marvin sits beside Sarah, and Eva beside Joey, as Oli barely makes appearances to breakfast, as his hours are more 24/7 than hers. After breakfast, she’ll clean the kitchen and write down her findings in a Journal she’d discovered in the back basement. Arthur doesn’t know, of course, but the intrigue and mystery of this house is too much to keep in, so she writes it all down in a brown book tied with a thick black string. She doesn’t know why Journaling calms her so much, but it’s the only thing she obtains that Arthur doesn’t.

After a bit, she’ll make Lunch, which Oli will  _ sometimes  _ show up at, but after, there isn’t much to do. Arthur can somehow always tell where she is and what she’s doing (except for Journaling), so she mostly takes walks around the Estate’s grounds, observing the house’s behavior and jotting down anything she notices on her left wrist. Occasionally, if Eva’s very lucky, she’ll find a code or a key or a note of some sort, and tuck it in her coat pocket to put in the journal later.

Around 6:00, Arthur will order her to come inside and cook dinner, and she does, and once again, everyone crowds around the table, however, nobody speaks. Their leader only dines with the group about twice a month, as if to check in what they’re doing. And Dinner is the only meal that Oli regularly attends, with Arthur’s permission, of course. And despite herself, it’s her favorite meal.

After dinner is done and the dishes are cleaned, she’ll jot down more in her Journal and read the books around the house. Tales of Knights and Princes and Heroes falling victim to Sorcerers and Con Men and Villains, proving their status as superior, almost pushing a belief on her. She doesn’t mind. She just notices.

After that, it’ll be time to go to sleep. Oli only sleeps every other day, she assumes to Guarding duties, but Joey and Marvin and Sarah all seem to comply. Only two rooms for the five- the Living Room and the Parlor. Sarah and Marvin sleep in the Living Room while Eva, Joey, and sometimes Oli sleep in the Parlor. It’s a small space, and since there’s only two couches, whenever Oli sleeps, he always rests on the floor due to offering the couch to Eva.

It’s a cycle as the days roll on. Little pieces and clues starting to piece together, but nothing much. Keys to unknown doors and codes to unknown locks. 

She takes her usual afternoon walk through the grounds, ever so often inspecting trees or bushes or little patches of dirt. Not much comes up, after all, she’s searched this place a thousand times. 

Eva’s inspecting near the gates when she bumps something and looks up. It’s Oli, and she quickly backs away.

“Sorry,” she says quietly, which is strange, because she only ever apologizes to Arthur, but she says it almost instantly.

Oli smiles at her and gives a small nod. “It’s ok.”

It’s a weird interaction, something she’s unfamiliar with. Usually, there are only two types of interactions: conflicts/threats and obedience. This one falls under neither category, and Eva strangely is ok with it.

“Can you go to sleep tonight?” she asks, the words slipping out of her mouth.

“Tonight, I think, yeah,” he responds, his posture loosening a bit from his usual very straight stance. 

“You know, you can have the couch,” she offers, stepping a foot closer, as they were quite a few feet apart. 

“No, it’s okay,” he shrugs. “You should have it. I don’t mind.” She smiles. 

“Is this what you do everyday?” Oli asks. “Walking around? I’ve just seen you do it quite a bit.”

Eva nods. “This and reading. And writing.”

“I like reading too,” he smiles. It’s bright and warm and comforting. “In my free time, I’ve been reading  _ Lady Chatterley's Lover.  _ It seems, sort of, familiar? I’m not sure, but it’s like I’ve read it before.”

It goes on for some time, the two talking over books and novels and their various duties. It’s different, but comforting. Like a new adventure. 

For hours they talk, before Eva realizes that she has to go and cook dinner, however, Oli follows her inside, and helps her around the kitchen. Unlike her, he actually looks like he knows what he’s doing- and he’s not bad at it, either. While they’re cooking, she does something she’s never done before- she laughs. A real, full, happy laugh. A laugh of joy and enjoyment. Less of a duty and more of a  _ want. _

It’s a chicken and rice dish, and it’s almost done when Arthur struts in, his pocket watch clasped in his hand, a stern look on his regal face. 

“Oli,” Arthur stares him down like a wolf to a lamb. “I don’t recall I gave you permission to be in the kitchen at this hour?”

“I’m sorry, Arthur,” Oli says in an almost robotic voice. 

“No sleep for you tonight,” Arthur directs and struts out. 

As soon as he’s out of the room, Oli turns to her and sighs. “Sorry about that.”

Eva hates apologies. Always has. They’re pointless and stupid unless being told to Arthur. 

But this time, she doesn’t mind so much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: Oli manages to help his ally figure out some mysteries.

**Author's Note:**

> Ik know this was weird as heck, but don't worry, I have a few more things planned for these three...


End file.
